editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94As NPR's Southwest correspondent based in Austin, Texas, John Burnett covers immigration, border affairs, Texas news, and features, and does investigative reporting. Though he is assigned to the National Desk, his beat has sometimes stretched around the world. In 2012, he spent five months in Nairobi as the East Africa Correspondent. His special reporting projects have included New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, and many reports on the Drug War in the Americas. His reports are heard regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition , All Things Considered , and Weekend Edition . Burnett has reported from more than 30 different countries since 1986. His 2008 four-part series "Dirty Money"—which examined how law enforcement agencies have gotten hooked on and, in some cases, corrupted by seized drug money—won three national awards: a Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting, a Sigma DeltaNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94John BurnettTue, 11 Jul 2017 08:31:28 +0000John Burnetthttp://kazu.org
John BurnettIn the epicurean world, Northern California is famous for two intoxicants — wine and weed. With recreational marijuana about to be legal in the Golden State, some cannabis entrepreneurs are looking to the wine industry as a model. On the elegant terrace of a winery overlooking the vineyard-covered hills of Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, a dozen invited guests are sipping pinot noir, nibbling hors d'oeuvres and taking hits off a water pipe. They have come for a farm-to-table meal of kale salad, roasted vegetables and grilled flatiron steak paired with wine and certain types of marijuana. "What we've found so far is that sativas go well with whites, indicas go well with reds," says Sam Edwards, president of the Sonoma Cannabis Company . He's part of the emerging pot-for-pleasure industry that seeks to grab a share of the nearly $2 billion tourism business in Sonoma Valley with events like this. "What we're beginning is melding cannabis with wine and food in a curated meal thatPairing Wine And Weed: Is It A California Dream Or Nightmare?http://kazu.org/post/pairing-wine-and-weed-it-california-dream-or-nightmare
91252 as http://kazu.orgMon, 10 Jul 2017 16:44:00 +0000Pairing Wine And Weed: Is It A California Dream Or Nightmare?John BurnettTwo-thousand miles away from the Supreme Court's vaulted ceiling and marble friezes, 60-year-old jobless mother Maria Guereca sat in her $20-a-month, one-room apartment with a fan and a hotplate — beside a picture of her dead son. On Monday, the Court gave Guereca, who lives in Juarez, Mexico, a partial victory, saying a lower court erred in granting immunity to an agent who shot and killed her son. As the Trump administration plans to ramp up security on the border, the case is being closely watched, as it examines whether U.S. agents should get immunity when shooting into Mexico. The case stirs strong reactions down on the border. Fifteen-year-old Sergio Hernandez was slain by a Border Patrol agent seven years ago. The lawman was standing on one side of a culvert in El Paso, Texas; the unarmed teenager was on the Juarez, Mexico, side. Federal courts are deciding whether the young man has rights under the U.S. Constitution, and if his mother can sue the agent for damages. MondayMom Of Cross-Border Shooting Victim 'Still Waiting For Victory'http://kazu.org/post/mom-cross-border-shooting-victim-still-waiting-victory
90710 as http://kazu.orgTue, 27 Jun 2017 13:52:00 +0000Mom Of Cross-Border Shooting Victim 'Still Waiting For Victory'John BurnettCan the family of a slain Mexican teenager sue the federal agent who shot him across the U.S.-Mexico border for damages? The U.S. Supreme Court did not answer this question on Monday, instead opting to send a case back to a lower court. The case centers on a larger question: whether the Constitution extends protection to an individual who is killed on foreign soil, even though that person is standing just a few yards outside the United States. It also tests a long-held doctrine, called a Bivens action, in which plaintiffs are permitted to sue federal officials for breaking constitutional law. But that doctrine had never been applied outside the boundaries of the United States. In oral arguments in February, some justices were concerned that making U.S. agents liable for their actions taken in a foreign nation could be extended to, say, a house full of noncombatants killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan. Bob Hilliard, the Texas attorney for the Mexican teen's family, argued that aSupreme Court Sends Cross-Border Shooting Case Back To Lower Courthttp://kazu.org/post/supreme-court-sends-cross-border-shooting-case-back-lower-court
90665 as http://kazu.orgMon, 26 Jun 2017 15:30:00 +0000Supreme Court Sends Cross-Border Shooting Case Back To Lower CourtJohn BurnettDonkeys have been loyal beasts of burden for 5,000 years, yet they still don't get a lot of respect. In the wild, burro herds are a nuisance. In captivity, they can be mistreated. But in recent years, donkey sanctuaries have sprung up across the country. The largest among them is Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue , outside of San Angelo, Texas, where the air periodically erupts with the unpeaceable sounds of donkey braying. Just like its hee-haw, so much about the donkey is species specific. Their temperament — intelligent, cautious and playful — is unique in the equine world. Males and females are called jacks and jennies. And they're widely misunderstood. "[People] assume they're stubborn. They assume they're stupid," says Mark Meyers, the founder and executive director of Peaceful Valley. "So there's a very negative connotation out there, the Bugs Bunny — turn into a donkey when he does something stupid." Meyers has become America's foremost donkey defender. Bored with the electricalAmid Growing Threats, Donkey Rescuers Protect The Misunderstood Beasts Of Burden http://kazu.org/post/amid-growing-threats-donkey-rescuers-protect-misunderstood-beasts-burden
90339 as http://kazu.orgSun, 18 Jun 2017 11:45:00 +0000Amid Growing Threats, Donkey Rescuers Protect The Misunderstood Beasts Of Burden John BurnettJason Cisneroz, a community service officer in Houston, is troubled. His job in the nation's fourth largest city is to forge good relations between the police and Hispanic immigrants, a population typically wary of blue uniforms. "A couple of days ago there was a witness to a burglary of a motor vehicle," he said. "She saw the suspects run to a certain place and with items they stole from a car, but she was afraid to come to police, she was in fear they would ask for her papers." Police officials have been warning about the unintended consequences of Trump's immigration dragnet. They caution it will further isolate immigrants who are in the country illegally and are victims of crimes like sexual assault. In Houston and in other U.S. cities, police and immigrant advocates say: it's already happening. Unauthorized immigrants living in Texas have a double whammy. Under President Trump, federal agents have stepped up the arrests of immigrants, even those without a criminal record. And aNew Immigration Crackdowns Creating 'Chilling Effect' On Crime Reportinghttp://kazu.org/post/new-immigration-crackdowns-creating-chilling-effect-crime-reporting
89284 as http://kazu.orgThu, 25 May 2017 08:54:00 +0000New Immigration Crackdowns Creating 'Chilling Effect' On Crime ReportingJohn BurnettAfter making the need for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a central campaign theme, President Trump has asked Congress for just $1.6 billion to start building 74 miles of barriers. Texas alone shares more than 1,200 miles of border with Mexico. If Congress approves the current request, 14 miles of old fencing in the San Diego sector would be replaced, and 60 miles of new structures would be built in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas — the region with the heaviest illegal traffic. With the 74 miles of new barriers and 654 miles of existing border fence, more than one-third of the southwest border would be covered. The request is far less than the $21.6 billion the Homeland Security Department had estimated that wall construction would cost. Still, Trump's request works out to $21.6 million a mile, or nearly $13,000 a yard — for what's expected to be a steel and concrete barrier. At a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents portions of SouthPresident Trump's Big Wall Is Now Just 74 Miles Long In His Budget Planhttp://kazu.org/post/president-trumps-big-wall-now-just-74-miles-long-his-budget-plan
89268 as http://kazu.orgWed, 24 May 2017 21:16:00 +0000President Trump's Big Wall Is Now Just 74 Miles Long In His Budget PlanJohn BurnettA new Texas law banning sanctuary cities has outraged Democrats, immigrant advocates and police chiefs. Joining the opposition is a tiny, defiant city on the Mexican border. El Cenizo is a city that fought for its very existence. It's all of half a square mile, located on the twisting Rio Grande just east of Laredo. It has fewer than 4,000 residents and only eight city employees. Many of El Cenizo's original residents came over from Mexico, some illegally. Mindful of its citizens, the fledgling city passed a "safe haven ordinance" 18 years ago that the city's mayor, Raul Reyes, says prohibits city officials from inquiring and disclosing the legal status of the people who live there. "That's it. Simple as that," Reyes said. But all these years later, it's not that simple. In January, President Trump issued an executive order threatening to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities . It's now tied up in the courts . On Sunday, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed aTiny And Defiant, Texas Town Launches Headfirst Into 'Show Me Your Papers' Debatehttp://kazu.org/post/el-cenizo-joins-opposition-against-texas-law-banning-sanctuary-cities
88676 as http://kazu.orgFri, 12 May 2017 11:38:00 +0000Tiny And Defiant, Texas Town Launches Headfirst Into 'Show Me Your Papers' DebateJohn BurnettOf all the wild places along the U.S.-Mexico border, Big Bend National Park , named for the great curve of the Rio Grande, is the gem. In Santa Elena Canyon in west Texas, the international river flows between 1,500-foot-tall sheer walls of limestone — a study in light, shadow, water and time. The Big Bend region — where the ghostly Chisos Mountains rise out of the prickly Chihuahuan Desert — is sacred ground. As writer Marion Winik described, it's "what I imagine the mind of God looks like." President Trump's executive order calls for an impregnable wall along the border, which includes 118 miles of river shared by the national park and Mexico. But in a rare show of unity, Democrats and Republicans and city and rural officeholders in Texas don't want the wall built through here. Critics say it would be unsightly and prohibitively expensive, it would harm wildlife and that it's superfluous considering how the unforgiving terrain is a natural barrier. Trump has vowed to forge ahead withIn Big Bend, Texas, There's Bipartisan Consensus: No Border Wallhttp://kazu.org/post/big-bend-texas-theres-bipartisan-consensus-no-border-wall
88276 as http://kazu.orgWed, 03 May 2017 21:17:00 +0000In Big Bend, Texas, There's Bipartisan Consensus: No Border WallJohn BurnettRead and listen to English-language versions of this story. Mientras en el Congreso se debate si se financiará el gran muro del presidente Trump en la frontera suroccidental, es posible que haya surgido un nuevo obstáculo. Ahora, ingenieros mexicanos piensan que la construcción de una masiva barrera en la frontera podría violar un tratado de 47 años sobre las aguas compartidas del Río Bravo. Si como se espera, México protesta, el destino de la pared podría terminar en un tribunal internacional. México está observando con creciente alarma cómo el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de Estados Unidos avanza en sus planes de extender drásticamente la barrera fronteriza que ya ha causado inundaciones catastróficas. El Tratado de Límites de 1970 dispone los límites territoriales entre Estados Unidos y México, y establece reglas sobre las regiones de la ribera. El Tratado estipula que tanto los funcionarios estadounidenses como los funcionarios mexicanos de la Comisión Internacional deEl Tratado del Río Bravo añade una nueva complicación al muro fronterizo de Trumphttp://kazu.org/post/el-tratado-del-r-o-bravo-ade-una-nueva-complicaci-n-al-muro-fronterizo-de-trump
87894 as http://kazu.orgTue, 25 Apr 2017 17:28:00 +0000El Tratado del Río Bravo añade una nueva complicación al muro fronterizo de TrumpJohn BurnettRead a version of this story in Spanish . As the White House pushes Congress to fund President Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall, a new wrinkle has emerged that could stymie parts of the massive project. Mexican engineers believe construction of the border barrier may violate a 47-year-old treaty governing the shared waters of the Rio Grande. If Mexico protests, the fate of the wall could end up in an international court. Antonio Rascón, chief Mexican engineer on the International Boundary and Water Commission , said in an interview with NPR that some border wall proposals he has seen would violate the treaty, and that Mexico would not stand for that. "A concrete wall that blocks trans-border water movement is a total obstruction. If they plan that type of project, we will oppose it," he said in his first public comments on the border wall. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not finalized what the new wall would look like, or precisely where it would go. But some of the initialMexico Worries That A New Border Wall Will Worsen Floodinghttp://kazu.org/post/mexico-worries-new-border-wall-will-worsen-flooding
87869 as http://kazu.orgTue, 25 Apr 2017 08:56:00 +0000Mexico Worries That A New Border Wall Will Worsen FloodingJohn BurnettSix times in recent days, Marco Antonio Cabachuela, his wife, Irma, and their 3-year-old, Valerie, walked up to federal immigration officers at the Hidalgo, Texas, port of entry and asked for asylum. And every night, they returned to an immigrant shelter in Reynosa, Mexico, where men and women sit listlessly in a shady courtyard. "They rejected it," he says. "They said there was no room for us." Irma chimes in, "The last official told us they weren't processing asylum applicants anymore and not to return. If we didn't leave voluntarily, they would have us deported by Mexican immigration authorities." Every year, thousands of immigrants come to the U.S.-Mexico border and request asylum — or safe harbor and freedom from the fear of persecution in their home countries. But immigrants and human rights advocates say that federal authorities under President Trump's administration are discouraging asylum requests and turning away immigrants fleeing persecution. Marco Antonio says he fledIn Their Search For Asylum, Central Americans Find The U.S. Is Closing Its Doorshttp://kazu.org/post/their-search-asylum-central-americans-find-us-closing-its-doors
85955 as http://kazu.orgMon, 13 Mar 2017 12:22:00 +0000In Their Search For Asylum, Central Americans Find The U.S. Is Closing Its DoorsJohn BurnettIn his address to Congress last week, President Trump said this about the kinds of people his immigration agents are singling out for deportation: "We are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very innocent citizens. Bad ones are going out as I speak." Then why, some Houstonians are asking, did immigration agents target Piro Garcia, the owner of two popular taco trucks on the city's Southside? "Hi friends, good afternoon! I'm Piro, making fresh gorditas for you," says the grinning taco king of South Post Oak Road, on an old Facebook video. He is wearing a red ball cap, standing inside his taco truck, throwing dough on the grill. Piro is Armando Garcia Mendez, 41 years old. He was born in Guatemala and fled to the United States in 1994 to avoid conscription by the armed forces in the midst of a civil war. He was caught by the Border Patrol and deported the first time. Then he tried again and made it to Houston. Garcia has spentPiro's Taco Trucks Are Beloved. Now He Is Facing Deportationhttp://kazu.org/post/piros-taco-trucks-are-beloved-now-hes-facing-deportation
85736 as http://kazu.orgTue, 07 Mar 2017 21:46:00 +0000Piro's Taco Trucks Are Beloved. Now He Is Facing DeportationJohn BurnettPresident Trump has promised to build a wall along the 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. A third of that border already has a barrier, thanks to the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which was signed by then-President George W. Bush. That initiative ran into issues with landowners near the Rio Grande. If the wall goes forward as Trump promises, more lawsuits may be coming. Out on the Western border between the U.S. and Mexico, straight-line fencing cuts through public lands and big ranches. But down in South Texas, the imposing, rust-colored barrier runs into a thicket of private property rights. Hundreds of irate landowners along the river have protested what they call a government land grab to install the controversial fence. Their cases landed before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville. He calls himself "the fence judge." President Bush — who appointed Hanen — signed the law ordering the erection of 700 miles of physical barriers along the border. Unlike the sparserLandowners Likely To Bring More Lawsuits As Trump Moves On Border Wallhttp://kazu.org/post/landowners-likely-bring-more-lawsuits-trump-moves-border-wall
85237 as http://kazu.orgThu, 23 Feb 2017 23:32:00 +0000Landowners Likely To Bring More Lawsuits As Trump Moves On Border WallJohn BurnettCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: Federal immigration authorities continue to carry out raids on Monday. Since last week, they say they have picked up 680 people who are in the country illegally. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, have said the agency routinely does these enforcement surges, but immigration advocates say the Trump administration is casting a much wider net than President Obama did. NPR's John Burnett has been monitoring the situation in Austin, Texas, where dozens of immigrants had been detained for deportation. He's with us now. Hi, John. JOHN BURNETT, BYLINE: Hi, Kelly. MCEVERS: So tell us. What's the latest from where you are? BURNETT: Well, we hear that the targeted enforcement operation is still ongoing, though the numbers seem to be decreasing. Austin is one of those cities in the 11 states where this is happening. Locally, there have been 60 to 70 unauthorized immigrants picked up here in the last four daysU.S. Immigration Officials Continue To Carry Out Raidshttp://kazu.org/post/us-immigration-officials-continue-carry-out-raids
84768 as http://kazu.orgMon, 13 Feb 2017 21:36:00 +0000U.S. Immigration Officials Continue To Carry Out RaidsJohn BurnettCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST: We begin today's program covering reports of an escalation in immigration raids in some seven states - California, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, New York and Texas. Immigrant rights groups say the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, is going after an even greater number of immigrants believed to be in the United States illegally. ICE denies it's doing anything different from what it usually does. NPR correspondent John Burnett is in Austin, Texas, one of the cities where these roundups have reportedly been occurring. And he joins us now to help answer the question of exactly what's going on. John, what can you tell us? JOHN BURNETT, BYLINE: Hey, Lakshmi. Well, ICE released a statement from Washington today and said this is just business as usual, that they regularly conduct targeted enforcement operations with extra personnel and this is just daily routine. But I don't really think locals wouldICE Says Recent Immigration Raids Are Business As Usual http://kazu.org/post/ice-says-recent-immigration-raids-are-business-usual
84717 as http://kazu.orgSat, 11 Feb 2017 23:09:00 +0000ICE Says Recent Immigration Raids Are Business As Usual John BurnettWith President-elect Donald Trump's tough talk on immigration, private prisons may be an early winner under his administration. In the week after Election Day, stocks of GEO and CoreCivic, the two biggest for-profit detention companies, shot up more than 20 and 40 percent, respectively. Last spring at a town hall meeting on MSNBC, Trump said this about the confinement industry: "By the way, with prisons I do think we can do a lot of privatizations and private prisons. It seems to work a lot better." Two possible categories of unauthorized immigrants who would go behind locked gates: First, the Trump campaign vowed to stop the catch and release of people who cross the border without documents to ask for asylum. And second, as president-elect, Trump has said he wants to deport 2 to 3 million "criminal aliens." "Detention is an inherent part of the machinery of deportation, and so I think we're looking ahead at massive expansion of our detention system," says Mary Small, policy directorWill The Private Prison Business See A Trump Bump?http://kazu.org/post/will-private-prison-business-see-trump-bump
83088 as http://kazu.orgWed, 04 Jan 2017 22:26:00 +0000Will The Private Prison Business See A Trump Bump?John BurnettEvery year in late November, the New Mexican village of Abiquiu, about an hour northwest of Santa Fe, celebrates the town saint, Santo Tomas. Townfolk file into the beautiful old adobe Catholic church to pay homage its namesake. But this is no ordinary saint's day. Dancers at the front of the church are dressed in feathers, face paint and ankle bells that honor their forebears — captive Indian slaves called genizaros. The dances and chants are Native American, but they don't take place on a Pueblo Indian reservation. Instead, they're performed in a genizaro community, one of several scattered across the starkly beautiful high desert of northern New Mexico. After centuries in the shadows, this group of mixed-race New Mexicans — Hispanic and American Indian — is stepping forward to seek recognition. Genizaros are descendants of slaves, but not Africans who crossed the Atlantic in shackles to work in Southern cotton fields. They are living heirs to Native American slaves. In the 18th andDescendants Of Native American Slaves In New Mexico Emerge From Obscurityhttp://kazu.org/post/descendants-native-american-slaves-new-mexico-emerge-obscurity
82850 as http://kazu.orgThu, 29 Dec 2016 21:19:00 +0000Descendants Of Native American Slaves In New Mexico Emerge From ObscurityJohn BurnettHe is known only as Case 0408. The remains of a middle-aged male immigrant were discovered in Jim Hogg County, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2009. Six belongings are the only things in the universe that may help identify him: a beat-up sneaker, a size L pullover shirt and hoodie, a ring found sewn into the waistband of his pants, a red and black lucha libre wrestler's mask, and a stuffed smiley lion. Case 0408 is one of about a hundred migrants who perish every year in the harsh, sweltering brush country of far South Texas trying to sneak around Border Patrol checkpoints. This is one of 80 cases featured on the website of The Texas Observer , the venerable progressive magazine published in Austin for the past 62 years. The idea is to create a small, searchable database where relatives can go to find photos of personal items associated with their missing loved one — a brother, sister, or son who trekked to el norte , never to be heard from again. "I don't feel like I'm stepping over any boundaries,In Texas, A Database Of Exhumed Objects Aims To ID Migrants Who Perishedhttp://kazu.org/post/countless-little-objects-database-hopes-find-something-more-name
82714 as http://kazu.orgMon, 26 Dec 2016 13:13:00 +0000In Texas, A Database Of Exhumed Objects Aims To ID Migrants Who PerishedJohn BurnettCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: There's been a rash of small earthquakes in Oklahoma and Texas in recent years. Scientists say many of these earthquakes are caused by oil and gas operators pumping their wastewater underground. In Texas, a new oil discovery could mean even more drilling wastewater to dispose of. The two states have very different views on how to deal with the quake problem. We're going to hear from two reporters now, one in each state, starting with Joe Wertz from StateImpact Oklahoma. JOE WERTZ, BYLINE: The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Oklahoma in early September was the strongest ever recorded in the state. Scientists suspect this quake, like many others rattling Oklahoma, was caused by oil companies injecting toxic, salty wastewater into underground wells. Matt Skinner with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission says, in the past, regulators have asked the industry to shut down wells and limit injection in quake-proneTexas, Oklahoma Divided Over How To Handle Earthquakes Linked To Oil Drillinghttp://kazu.org/post/texas-oklahoma-divided-over-how-handle-earthquakes-linked-oil-drilling
81630 as http://kazu.orgMon, 28 Nov 2016 23:28:00 +0000Texas, Oklahoma Divided Over How To Handle Earthquakes Linked To Oil DrillingJohn BurnettDesperate Haitian immigrants have been massing along the U.S.-Mexico border for months seeking humanitarian relief. In the past year more than 5,000 have sought entry into the United States — a 500 percent increase over the previous year. After the catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Haiti, thousands of citizens migrated to Brazil looking for work. But as Brazil has slipped into recession in recent years, many of them have hit the road again, heading north on a 6,000-mile journey to the U.S. border — by every means of conveyance. "Taxi, bus, plane, bicycle, boat, horses, and we've walked for five days," says Pierre Smith, 34, a smiling, broad-faced accountant from Port-au-Prince. He's staying at the San Juan Bosco, an immigrant shelter on a barren hilltop in Nogales, Mexico, while he and 100 of his countrymen wait to cross into Nogales, Ariz. These Haitians want the same generous benefits that were extended after the earthquake, when they got protection from deportation and temporary workAt The U.S.-Mexico Border, Haitians Arrive To A Harsh Receptionhttp://kazu.org/post/haitians-hoping-migrate-us-find-reception-harsh
81437 as http://kazu.orgWed, 23 Nov 2016 10:06:00 +0000At The U.S.-Mexico Border, Haitians Arrive To A Harsh Reception